Orthodontic–Surgical Treatment After Posttraumatic Bilateral Condylectomy of the Mandible in an Adult Patient

Abstract

A posttraumatic open bite associated with a bird face is reported. Condylectomy was indicated in relation to the plurifragmentary fracture of the condyles with limitation of mandibular movement. Condylectomies were mandatory as a result of delayed maxillofacial surgical treatment, which was related to the poor general condition of the patient after trauma. Functional disorder recovery and aesthetic deformity correction were planned by a team approach between orthodontists and maxillofacial surgeons with the support of a logopedist for the postural-related muscle problems. The main practical and theoretical problems presented by the clinical case were a result of the need to restore the occlusal relations and to avoid recurrence of open bite in this patient. The patient presented a wide alteration of muscular function and a strength fibrotic retraction with alteration in the relationship between upper and lower jaws and retrusion of the mandible associated to open bite. Orthodontic treatment was carried with no impact on the upper and lower axis, avoiding orthodontic correction of the open bite. Surgery corrected both the open bite and the bird face by means of bilateral sagittal split osteotomies. Wiring of the mandibular osteotomies and intermaxillary fixation allowed positioning of the mandibular ramus bilaterally because of the fibrosis and muscular action-related forces without resulting in a similar rotation of the mandible with the risk of recurrence. Myotherapy and logopedic support minimized the risk of recurrence, improved reduction of muscular tension with the resolution of the lip incompetence, and allowed functional recovery of mandibular movements.